Sweet Dreams
by EliseTheWitch02
Summary: (Chapter 4 Finally Uploaded) Aeris has been brought back but is lost and lonely. The most unlikely person befriends her and protects her when a new journey comes calling! AerisSephiroth
1. Chapter One

Sweet Dreams  
  
Chapter One: The Day Begins With A Shining Sun  
  
A young woman turns over in her sleep, trying desperately to ignore the sunlight streaming down upon her body almost causing her to glow with an eerie light, and the alarm clock buzzing in her ear screaming at her to wake up. The interior of the room she lay sleeping in was furnished and colored in light shades of pinks, purples and blues. The young woman had an obviously old teddy bear clutched tightly against her chest as she quietly murmured, "Sun, just go back down.just for a few more minutes, please," with a small whimper.  
  
Apparently the sun didn't answer the woman's plea is just continued shine, perhaps even harder than before, through the window facing her bed and the girl was forced to awaken. She threw back the heavenly warm covers of her bed and swung her nearly completely limp body off the bed.only to fall back down onto the warm sanctuary of covers once again as soon as the warm flesh of her bare feet connected with the cold wood floor.  
  
"Aeris, you can do it, it's a wonderful day for flower selling and yet you're still in you're pajamas in you're bed no less!" the beautiful, young, twenty-two year old Aeris Gainsborough began, "Now, arise!"  
  
Still nothing. Fifteen minutes later after much time and effort the young woman was finally able to muster up her courage, and shakily get out of bed. She padded quietly over her to her bureau yawning, and taking her hairbrush she began to run it through her long, thick auburn-brown hair trying desperately to untangle it. Finally, upon finishing brushing her hair the young Aeris, decided to dress before braiding her hair and grabbing a bite to eat.  
  
She walked to her closet door, and opened it. Thumbing through the outfits she had hung neatly in the vicinity of her closet, she came across one of her favorite outfits: a cute pink dress, with a red jacket and a matching pink bow with her sentimental keepsake from her real mother, Ifalna. "This'll work!" the young Cetra said absently before squirming out her wrinkled pajamas, depositing them on her bed, and changing.  
  
Once done changing she topped the outfit off with two silver bangles, and a black lace necklace. "Now.to finish the hair," she said, quietly, looking at her reflection in the mirror.  
  
She once more picked her brush up from the bureau, and brushed through her wavy hair before braiding it very neatly, and securely tying the bow on. She looked in the mirror and smiled at what she saw. The reflection showed a twenty-two year-old female with beautiful auburn-brown hair, deep-green 'I'm in on the joke' eyes filled with joy and happiness, a slim figure outfitted in a cute pink dress that was unbuttoned to the knees; she looked much like how the dead Ifalna once looked.  
  
"I guess this will work," the cheery faced Aeris said to herself before walking to her bedroom door, and stepping out. She walked down the steps and a memory of Cloud sparked her mind. 'Strange, I usually try not to think about him,' Aeris' thoughts began, 'But then again.it's 'that day' again, the day I met Cloud.the day I lost Zack. Jeez, I miss them both.'  
  
She wasn't surprised to arrive in the kitchen to find her stepmother, Elmyra, gone. It had been like this every since ShinRa had taken its downfall. Aeris walked to the counter and found a note reading:  
  
Aeris,  
  
I've gone out today. Be careful and try to be back soon. Don't have me worrying about you like yesterday, understood? Well, I've already made breakfast for you, it's at you're place on the kitchen counter. It's your favorite. Enjoy.  
  
Your Loving Mother, Elmyra Gainsborough  
  
"Mom, she's always one step ahead of me," the contented Aeris said aloud as she took her place at the kitchen counter. She ate in peace and content. It truly was her favorite breakfast meal: Fried eggs, French toast, and bacon. 'Mom knows best,' she thought with an inward giggle.  
  
It didn't take the young woman long to finish her breakfast, and grabbing an empty whicker basket she headed outside, planning to stop by the church to gather her flowers. She walked slowly out of the private vicinity that her house stood in; she was at perfect ease with the world. Since the planet had been saved from Meteor, ShinRa taken it's downfall and she had been revived she had learned to live life to it's fullest even more so that before.  
  
She passed by the small slum area, waving to those that she knew and those that she didn't know. They all loved Aeris, even though they'd never tell her that. Trotting down the path towards the dilapidated church building she began to feel uneasy for the first time in a long time. It was like.someone was watching her. 'Strange,' she thought, turning around, 'No one's there.Ugh I'm getting to paranoid,' she mentally scolded herself before heading back on her path.  
  
Reaching the door to the church she gingerly opened the door, knowing that if she was to hard on the rotting wood it would most likely crumble away in her hands. Aeris walked silently, but no matter how silent you are in an old run-down church your footsteps echo throughout the building, and this one fact brought shivers down the young woman's spine.  
  
With a sigh of relief as she reached the flowers, after what seemed like an eternity, she kneeled down and began gently picking them, one by one, and placing them softly upon each other inside the whicker basket. After only a few minutes the once empty basket was brimming with flowers of all sorts of different colors: purple, pink, blue, a shade of lavender, a dark red.like blood, and many other colors.  
  
Aeris began to get up, but hearing the planet's muffled voice cry out she tried her hardest to decipher the mismatched words but to no avail, failed. She stood, and deciding to concern about the meaning of this later, turned around and paced out of the church. Ignoring each gentle "plunk" as her footsteps once more echoed against the rotting wood.  
  
'Aeris, you're getting more and more paranoid each day,' a voice inside Aeris' mind said as she began walking towards Wall Market, which had greatly shaped up since the saving of the world.  
  
'No, I'm not,' she gently said, trying to reassure the part inside her mind that she was perfectly fine.  
  
'You're not, Aeris, and you know it as well as I do, my child what is wrong?' the voice asked again after several minutes of silence in which the young Aeris had been able to make her way closer to Wall Market.  
  
'Nothing's wrong, Planet,' she began, finally realizing the voice that was talking inside her head, causing sadness and angst to build up inside her weak body as tear threatened to surface, she took a deep breath.  
  
'Then I shall believe you, dearest Aeris, at least you are not tormenting yourself upon the loss of your lover anymore,' the voice rang loud and clear inside Aeris' head, causing repercussion to rise throughout her brain.  
  
'Zack,' she thought sadly, the tears would come soon.she knew they would. But the Planet was silent, the young woman had reached Wall Market and the thoughts of the people all around cluttered the Planet's now feeble thoughts inside of young Aeris.  
  
She walked around Wall Market, trying desperately to forget Zack. His long, spiky black hair, his deep blue eyes, his strong muscular build; everything about him it haunted her. But she couldn't forget, no she could never forget Zack, her first love. She had never loved Cloud, not like Zack, to her he just filled in the void. He belonged with Tifa. Cloud and Tifa deserved to be together. They were perfect for each other. They were her best friends, the friends who had brought her back from the Lifestream.  
  
'S-sir.would you like a flower?" she asked a man, who looked to be in his forties, feebly.  
  
The man gave her a smile, seeing that she was obviously distressed, and said thoughtfully, "Why.these flowers they're gorgeous. Even now, you don't see many flowers bloom in Midgar, young lady did you grow these?"  
  
"Y-yes sir, I did," Aeris replied, giving him a warm, thankful smile.  
  
"I'm sure my wife would love these flowers of yours, how much would a dozen cost, Miss-I'm sorry I didn't catch your name-but still, I'd like to take a dozen," he said, smiling.  
  
"Oh, my name is Aeris, Aeris Gainsborough, sir. And a dozen would cost twelve gil." Aeris said, sniffing to keep from crying, but still smiling at the man who was being so kind to her.  
  
"Well then, Miss Aeris, a dozen it is!" the man said, and tossed her a bag of gil that she knew weighed much more than twelve gil, "Keep the change!" he said at seeing her confused look.  
  
"Thank you!" she exclaimed, truly smiling now, and handed him a dozen of her best flowers all in a vibrant shade of blue. He nodded, and with a wave of goodbye, walked off.  
  
'He mentioned having a wife.everyone's in love, but me. Why did you go away, Zack, why did you leave me? Why did.why did you die?' the girl asked herself over and over again, finally letting the tears out as she securely put the gil bag in her jacket pocket.  
  
'I-I...loved you so much, Zack, but you left me. You left all alone. You died, and now look at me. Envious of a man who has love, whose not alone.' Aeris' sad thoughts began, 'I wanted to stay with you.forever. To be yours, and you be mine. I see now, it will never happen, I waited for you for a very long time, you know that, right? But I don't think I can wait much longer.especially since you're dead. And it's a fact. I need to love, I need to enjoy my life. I know that's what you'd want for me. But it's just so hard to except that you're gone, and never coming back. I've had crushes you know.even one on The Great General himself, the first time I saw him.before he tried to kill me-I' up until this point she'd been thinking towards Zack, but no she just decided to let it fall.no more being sad.  
  
Noting that she had walked far from the safe boundaries of Wall Market she began to turn back, but stopped short someone was watching her, someone besides the three goons staring lustfully at Aeris. 'Wait, goons! Oh god, no!' Aeris' mind reeled, not now! Not when I don't have my staff, please no!  
  
Aeris couldn't be more right in presuming someone else was there. Because someone was, but not just anyone, someone who could easily save her. The question was, would they, and if so.why? 


	2. Chapter Two

Sweet Dreams  
  
Chapter Two: The Day Ends With A Brooding Heart  
  
He had watched her, his eyes cunning and thoughtful. For hours during her sleep, he had surveyed her. Taken in everything about her. It had been so long since he had seen his beautiful Cetran princess. To long.  
  
He remembered everything about their last meeting. Driving his long katana through her flesh. Seeing her die. Whispering into her ear, those two word..sweet dreams. Of course it had only been one of his clones, but he had seen it; And deep inside, in an area which had long since frozen over, he had hurt. The Great Sephiroth had actually hurt.all for her.  
  
He was divided. He hated her, for making him show some weakness. He loved her, for something deep within. How he wanted her dead! How he wanted to be with her.How he longed for her, and yet, they could never be.  
  
Sephiroth had no idea why he was back. Why the lifestream had allowed him to return to the Planet, why anyone or thing could ever trust him again. He had no idea what to do with his life, all he had ever known was.Jenova, she had been the only one who had ever cared for him.but she hadn't, she had only pretended to give a damn about him, and in the end.she had betrayed him, just like everyone else.  
  
He was not the betrayer, he was the betrayed; but that was fine, he no longer cared, as long as he could watch his Cetran princess, he had almost, almost been happy when he heard a beautiful lady with long brown hair, and deep green eyes had somehow, magically reappeared in the shady town of Midgar.almost.  
  
He stood alert as he noticed her awaken, he turned away as she began to undress, although he was tempted, out of lust to watch but he knew, if he did, he would have to have her.that he would give into lust, and for some reason, that wasn't what he wanted. He respected her, for some odd reason, perhaps it was because even though she was weak physically she had still braved her chances against him so long ago, perhaps not, it didn't matter.  
  
All that day he followed her, through the slums, into her church, through Wall Market. He had watched her as she sold flowers to a man on the street, he had watched them converse, watch them talk, watch them left, and watched.as the man gave her a rather large bag of gil for a bushel of beautiful flowers.and he had envied the man, envied him just for the fact he had talked to HIS Cetran princess, his prize.his, all his, only his.  
  
Lust.that was all he felt for this.this girl, yes that was all. Or so he tried to convince himself that was all, but deep inside, in that long frozen over area, he knew it wasn't.but he would never admit that, not to her, nor anyone else. If he were to ever talk to her, he would treat her cruelly, like she was an animal. Like she was beneath him, like she was nothing.  
  
He had always been like that, cruel to others, everyone was beneath him.for he was The Great General Sephiroth, but he had to remember, he was no longer great. Those who had seen him had merely laughed and called him a "poser", what fools!  
  
He had been so lost in thought, but his instincts were still alert due to the intense training he had gone through as a SOLDIER. His feet had carried him after the young Cetran girl, keeping him in the shadows, far enough as not to be seen, yet close enough so that he could smell the wonderfully sweet, earthy smell of the object of his affection, of his lust.  
  
Shaking his foolishly mortal thoughts from his mind he opened his eyes to what was going on. He noticed, that the girl, the Cetra, had stopped abruptly and towering over her stood a whole gang of.ruffians.  
  
Covered in grime they smiled at his Cetra with missing teeth, and stinking breath. They loomed over her, watching her, smiling down upon her, and she stood there, rooted with fear. She was clinging to the handle of the whicker basket she held, shaking.  
  
"Why hello, pretty little flower girl," one of the goons began, and grabbing her wrists, as she dropped her basket, pushed her hard against the wall, "How about you treat us to.yourself?"  
  
Sephiroth was disgusted by this, grabbing tightly to his katana he rushed from the shadows, he would cut these fools down, he would make them pay.make them die! She was his! She belonged to HIM! 


	3. Chapter Three

Sweet Dreams  
  
Chapter Three: The Girl Fears Her Savior?  
  
Fear filled the brunette's deep, green eyes as she watched the silver haired man walk from the shadows. Each step this confident man took made a 'thunking' sound that for some odd reason, scared her even more than the man that held her against the wall's whole appearance scared her.  
  
This.was the mighty Sephiroth, no doubt about it. This, was the man who had murdered her so cruelly, this was the man who had plagued her nightmares ever since she had been brought back from the dead.  
  
So many questions resounded throughout her head, 'What was he doing here? Wasn't he dead? Was he going to kill her again? Was he in charge of this group of.monsters?'  
  
She was terrified, and it showed, oh how it showed. She was trembling, tears beginning to stream down her cheeks and land with a soft, almost unheard 'plunk' on the hard concrete in which they, the flower girl, the goons, and Sephiroth, stood.  
  
"Go away, can't you see we're busy?" Her captor, the leader of the group of goons, spoke. Sephiroth continued to step closer, and with each step, Aeris became more frantic.  
  
"I said go away!" the goon yelled, but it was easy to tell, he was losing his nerve. Something about this man, Sephiroth, made people feel so.weak.  
  
"Heh.believe me, you don't want to make me angry," Sephiroth said, his voice calm and cold, just as she had remembered.  
  
"Tough guy! Who do you think you are!?" one of the ruffians leered, apparently he wasn't very smart.  
  
Three of the goons ran at Sephiroth, baring their knives, but they never had the chance to attack. All three of them, fell before the mighty Sephiroth, his grand blade, the Masamune, cutting all three of them in half in one stroke.  
  
Sephiroth looked at the last of the ruffians, the one who held Aeris to the wall, and smirked. His silver hair fell in front of his mako green eyes, giving him a demonic look. He scared Aeris, and it was apparent that he scared her captor as well.  
  
"I think.this is where you run," came Sephiroth's voice, and the man did just that, he took off through the alley, not looking back once.  
  
Aeris fell to the ground, she was trembling, she closed her eyes, the tears streaming freely from her face. She heard Sephiroth's footsteps, he was getting closer, she bowed her head and prepared to die.  
  
The pain she expected never came.but something did. She felt her body being lifted, slowly, gently, as if trying to keep from shaking her, as if she was a flower and the picker was extremely scared that they would tear her petals off in the process of the picking.  
  
She felt herself being carried away slowly from this place, and she knew, that she wasn't being taken home. But she felt so.safe, which was odd, because only moments before her heart had been racing.  
  
She didn't open her eyes, and as she began to fall into sleep in the comfort of this person's arms, her last thoughts were, 'This couldn't be Sephiroth.could it?'  
  
A/N: I tried to get this out quick because the last chapter took me so long to update. Sorry that it's not as long as Chapter One, what can I say, I'm lazy! Anyways, reviews are always appreciated ^^ 


	4. Chapter Four

Sweet Dreams  
  
Chapter Four: The General Takes A Captive  
  
Sephiroth has no idea why he had done it. Why he had rescued this girl, this cetra, why he was taking her with him, or.at least he tried to convince himself he didn't know. Deep down though, he knew, he felt it, within him not only did he need her but this was his calling, the planet had sent him to be her protector that had to be it..  
  
He stared at the girl he had rescued, and then taken captive. He had taken her to his home, laid her in his bed. She had fallen asleep after the attack on her by the men who would have raped her and perhaps murdered her had it not been for him. Who would have thought he, General Sephiroth, would do something kind, do something to help another living being? He definitely wouldn't have..  
  
His eyes ran over her body, she turned to her side, whimpering slightly in her sleep. Was she having nightmares? He hoped not.Sephiroth didn't want this poor girl to be tortured even more than she already had. This young woman had already lived through more pain than most people did in their lives. She had struggled.  
  
Sephiroth shook his head, he had begun to respect this girl, and to actually care about her. He couldn't let that happen, even if the Planet had rescued him from death to protect her.he couldn't care about her that would ruin his appearance. People may think of him as only a poser, but he was the REAL Sephiroth. He was the man who lived in darkness.who didn't care for anymore.  
  
He found himself torn again, he respected her, cared for her even.but he also wanted to reach out now, and strangle her. Make her die, make her suffer even more. He had killed men to save her. What was that saying? 'A life for a life'? He would take her life then.  
  
But as he reached for her, he could not do it, because just then, she opened her eyes and stared up at him with those heavenly green pools of hers. He stumbled backwards, showing weakness, frailty. He pressed himself back against the wall, and slipped down so that he rested with his knees pulled to his chest. This was destroying him.her mere look could reduce him to..to a child.  
  
He abhorred her for that, but even with that, he knew he would never be able to kill her, never be able to harm her again.she deserved life. She among all people was perhaps the only person worthy to live on this world. She was his cetran princess, and now.his captive, his to protect.  
  
He stood now, and coughed, he had to show strength.  
  
"You should be thanking me." he said, his voice cold and collected.  
  
"I..Thank you, but.why did you save me? You hate me, you killed me! Why would you save me!?" The brunette asked, fear shining in her beautiful eyes.  
  
"Because." Sephiroth began, his eyes averted. He had to think of a way to tell her.  
  
A/N: Cliffhanger heh, anyways.sorry that this chapter wasn't long or even that good, but I tried! 


End file.
